Sunday, May 5, 2013

Why are my cat’s ears so itchy?

There are several reasons that cats can have itchy
ears.The most common reason that people
think of when their cat is shaking its head or scratching its ears is that they
have ear mites.Although ear mites are
common, other types of bacterial or yeast infections, as well as fleas may be
to blame.That is why it is important
for your cat to be seen by a veterinarian to help determine the type of
infection.

Ear mites are a type of parasite that are transmitted
directly between cats and dogs so all cats in the household must be treated at
the same time.Besides the intense
itching they cause, they also produce a characteristic black coffee ground type
of discharge in the ears.This discharge
can be examined by your veterinarian under the microscope in order to visualize
the mites and confirm diagnosis.Most
over the counter medication only kills the adult mites, not the eggs, which
means a daily treatment for 3 weeks that can be difficult.Your veterinarian has injectable as well as
topical medications that only need performed one or two times.

Bacterial and yeast ear infections typically come from the
environment or are related to allergies.The cat may have excessive brown or yellowish wax as well as red
ears.This discharge can be examined by
your veterinarian under the microscope in order to visualize the bacteria or
yeast.Prescription injectable , topical,
or oral medications can be used for at least 1 week to help remedy the
infection.

Certain tiny fleas called bird fleas or sticktight fleas can
be found attached around cat ears and eyes.Cats can get these fleas from interacting with birds outside or dogs get
them outside and bring them inside to the cat. Besides using tweezers to
individually remove the fleas, the fleas can be killed with topical medication
used to killed normal fleas.Other less common parasites, allergies, or skin diseases are also possible. Your veterinarian can help determine the cause of your cat's itchy ears with a thorough examination and a few diagnostic tests.